Everything I Can't Have
by DancingSock
Summary: A series of NelsonxLisa oneshots. Hopefully, better than it sounds. Please review, it makes me very happy, and happy people write better stories.
1. Wish I Was Dancing With You

**Note: **Each chapter has been inspired by a certain event/conversation in the Simpsons. They all revolve around Lisa and Nelson. Some of them may be hideously short, because my creative flare enjoys downtime. Constructive criticism is welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Simpsons.

_In __**Future Drama, **__we see Lisa and Nelson both looking unhappy with their dates._

**Wish I Was Dancing With You**

After four minutes of dancing with Milhouse Van Houten, Lisa had lamely muttered: "My hair's a mess. I'll be back in a second."

"It looks fine, Lisa." Milhouse had bleated plaintively. Unfortunately for him, Lisa had finished counting how many floorboards lined the hall (324) and was not in the mood to move onto estimating the area of the ceiling in metres. And so she had slid from his grasp, and drifted around the corner, before pressing her back against the little island of walling that separated the doors to the girls and boys bathroom. Closing her eyes, Lisa buried her face in her hands. How had she ended up going to prom with Milhouse? How had she even ended up _going out_ with Milhouse? Unfortunately, Lisa knew her sympathetic and compassionate nature would not allow her to dump him on prom night- he was so insecure, and if she left him- would his life be a downwards spiral? Could Lisa really ever forgive herself for shattering the boys dream? She wasn't sure.

On the other hand, she couldn't go on like this. Even the thought of returning to the dance floor with him made her cringe, and she didn't want to go on like that for the rest of her life.

"Well..." she breathed "At least he's not going to Yale."

"Hey, Lis'"

Lisa peeped through her hands. Apparently, someone else needed some away time as well.

"Hi, Nelson." She gave a thin smile, glad to know she wasn't shut away in this cage of emotional torment alone. "Having fun?"

"Take a wild guess." He muttered in a low voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Judging by body language, tone of voice and facial expression, I'd say you're in danger of exploding with ecstasy."

"Bang on the mark." Nelson replied with the same sarcastic monotone, before giving a bucktoothed, crooked grin. He gestured to Terri and Sherri- they were swaying limply to the music as if he'd never left. "Probably haven't realised I'm missing."

"I wish I could say the same." Lisa muttered, sneaking a glance around the corner. Milhouse was standing alone, eyes flitting shiftily.

"A little clingy, eh?" Nelson murmured, his eyes following Lisa's.

"Just a tad." She sighed with a weak smile.

The pair stood in silence, collecting their thoughts and wondering how they were going to escape from their individual messes. Nelson had always been a good friend to Lisa- a little more, truthfully, though she hated to admit it. A willing lunch partner, someone to help her with troubled social life. With his protection, she hadn't been the victim of a single snide remark all through high school, and she was going to miss his surprisingly insightful advice. One of the best things about Nelson was the fact he was prepared to stand in silence with her- yet it felt as easy as having a conversation, something that could not be said for Milhouse. Lisa had always tried to fill the gaps in their awkward speech, dreading the tension that would arise if she did not- though it wasn't as if their discussions were intriguing.

"So...Milhouse. Anything interesting happen at school today?"

"Nope"

"Okay..."

And here she was, standing next to everything she'd ever wanted, unable to reach out and take it. Nelson had responsibilities now, right?

"Probably not even mine." He muttered, as if having read her thoughts. Lisa realised Nelson had a point. Terri and Sherri weren't exactly famous for their loyalty.

Nelson turned to look at Lisa, eyes swimming with emotion. "Wish I was dancing with you." He murmured- voice soft and barely audible.

Gulping, she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Me too" She breathed, meeting Nelson's lonely gaze. He too was staring at everything he could never have.

He broke away, eyes low and pools of sadness. "Damn it, Lisa! Can't we at least have this dance?"

She nodded silently, taking his rough, scarred hands and swaying gently to the music. Though so bittersweet and painful, Lisa felt blissfully happy in his arms. _He's not bad at dancing, either _She mentally noted, resting her head dreamily on his shoulder.

The track ended far too soon. The pair pulled apart, and gave each other a melancholy smile. Stooping his head down, Nelson gave Lisa a gentle kiss on the forehead, before moving away, to return to the waiting twins.

Fighting back tears, Lisa strode onto the dance floor.


	2. Saved

**Tonight Will Be a Dark Night for Ants**

_In __**The Great Simpsina **__we see Lisa performing the "Milk Can Escape". What if something went wrong?_

Nelson had been the only one to hear the muffled thuds coming from behind the screen.

Because he was the only one listening for them.

It wasn't that he didn't have complete faith in Lisa. He trusted her wholly. However, he'd seen her at her most delicate, and knew how fragile the girl was.

Breakable.

There was bound to be some air left in the milk can, so he hadn't done anything right away. Maybe it was part of the suspense building- or she was somehow punching her way out of the container? Then, after about a minute, the noise grew less and less- weakly fading away as its creator began to run out of oxygen. He'd give her another 5 seconds. Nelson had known she'd be furious if he ruined her act, but could he really run the risk of losing her forever? Especially when he knew, in his heart, that something was not right.

And so, when she'd used up all the time he'd allotted her, Nelson ploughed easily through the crowd, and dived behind the screen. Ralph Wiggum had been standing there- staring dumbly at the silent milk can. Yanking at the padlocks, Nelson had soon found they were phoney, and ripped them from the lid with ease. He had hurled the lit onto the ground. Inside, a sodden blond head was visible, floating in the liquid. Nelson had never liked milk.

He had easily scooped her out in his arms, and listened for a heartbeat. Faint, but determined, it had brought such relief to him that he'd almost cried. Nelson hadn't allowed himself time to celebrate- Lisa was unconscious.

It was probably then that everyone had cottoned onto the fact that the Great Simpsina was in trouble, and a whole mob of pupils had burst around the curtain, and been greeted with a peculiar scene. Milhouse had rushed to Nelson's side, pressed her cheek against Lisa's and muttered: "It's gonna be okay." Nelson had kicked him (his arms were full).

Someone had finally realised that an ambulance might be a good idea, and pretty soon the wailing of sirens could be heard, and a van had screeched around the corner. Bart had been allowed to ride with his sister, but Nelson was a little shy to ask. Besides, he knew the answer, so what was the point?

So, he'd ditched school and made his way over. It didn't take too long, but every second, the same question pounded through his mind.

_Did I get there in time_?

He could only hope.

Nelson had pounded up the many flights of stairs- following the instructions Dr. Hibbert had given him, until he reached Lisa's ward. Mrs Simpson was sitting by her bed in a small plastic chair, and Lisa had never looked more fragile.

"Hey, Mrs S."

"Hello, Nelson. Have you come to see how Lisa is?"

"No, I've come to see the baby elephant next door." Immediately, Nelson had regretted his sarcasm. "How is she?"

"Well, she woke up, which was good, and then passed out again, which was, er...not so good." Marge admitted.

"But she'll be okay, eh...?" Nelson grunted. In response, Lisa gave a thin moan, and tossed in the thin sheets. A dark hand had crept around the door.

"Mrs Simpson- a moment, please?"

"Of course, Dr. Hibbert."

Now, Nelson sat on the small plastic chair, completely alone, other than a silent girl beside him. He took her pale, small hand and placed his over it. "You'll be fine, Lis'".

He sat like that for a while, just thinking, and hoping.

"Nelson?"

The boy jerked up. He'd been daydreaming, but the small yet determined voice had cut through his thoughts. "Hey, Lisa"

Her eyes had fluttered open, and a thin smile was spreading across her lips. "Mum says you yanked me out of the can."

Embarrassed, he nodded shyly.

"I don't know what went wrong. The...the top wouldn't come off- it twists, normally- it's in two halves- but it must have got stiff-"Lisa paused, her eyes flittering guiltily around the room. "I really shouldn't have said that out loud."

Nelson grinned. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Lisa nodded. "Well, anyway, thanks for saving me."

"Nah, Lis'. Thanks for saving me."


	3. Inside Every Nerd, There's a Bully

**Note: **Thank you to my first reviewers!

**In Every Nerd, There's a Bully (Well, sort of...)**

_In __**Sleeping with the Enemy **__Nelson offers to help avenge Lisa further at school the next day. _

Riding on the school bus had never really been the highlight of Lisa's day- she was always alone (often isolated completely, with another person not in sight for 3 or 4 rows) and the mindless babbling of those fortunate enough to have a travelling companion made it impossible to collect thoughts, without turning them into a complete mishmash of other peoples conversation. Being honest with herself, Lisa didn't really care that Ralph's mother thought he was special, and she didn't want to know what Jimbo and Dolph were planning to do to humiliate Groundskeeper Willie that day.

So, as she climbed the grubby steps to tedium, it was a pleasant surprise to hear a rough voice call her name, reaching out through the loud chatters and wails to pull her back to sanity. "Hey, Lis', I saved you a space!"

Glancing up- though she didn't need to, really- Lisa quickly identified her saviour as Nelson. Shimmying through the bustling isle, she plonked herself down with a huff, sliding her book bag onto the floor gently, she turned to smile at the grubby vested student next to her. "Thanks, Nelson."

"I thought we could discuss-Haw Haw!" Lisa was about to politely suggest another area of conversation, when she realised that his throaty crow had not been intended as a topic, but as its signature ridicule. Martin's books had just slipped from their bag, but as the driver hadn't noticed (or rather, didn't care) the bus had started, and the isle going down the vehicle was now a sliding rink of slithering textbooks.

Nelson cleared his throat in a businesslike manner. "Anything else you want to do to Sherri and Terri? Seriously, anything you dream up, I can make happen."

Lisa narrowed her eyes, and gave a faint smile. "But not make their butts bigger than mine, huh?"

Still dead serious, the 4th grader paused to contemplate. "It might take some doing, but I'm sure it can be-"

Lisa punched Nelson's arm with a dainty fist. "I was joking, silly."

"Ouch!" Nelson complained, rubbing the arm in question, before breaking into a comical grin. "You see- inside every nerd, there's a bully. Well, sort of..."

Rolling her eyes, the younger girl shrugged. "If _that _hurt, then you must be much softer than I thought."

Giving a mock protest with a raise of his eyebrows, Nelson grunted in a deeper voice "Yeah, right." This attempt at...manliness sent Lisa into fits of giggles, a display of mirth she treated an audience to only in extreme situations. Settling down next to him, shoulders touching- these seats were not made for the towering Nelson Muntz, that was certain- they fell into comfortable silence (well, never silence on the bus, but comfortable companionship). After a while, Nelson turned to Lisa, eyes serious.

"Is it fun?" For a moment, he left it at that, and then realised that she didn't have exclusive access to his thoughts, and so expanded. "Being smart. Having people proud of you, stuff like that."

Surprised, Lisa groped for the correct words. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, if I'm ever going to get anywhere in life, I need to be smart. I want to be a lawyer, or a politician."

Nelson gave a low chuckle. "Really? My biggest goal in life is to own a garage. I asked my Mum if I could drop school to start my own bike repair business, but she said she didn't want me around the house that much, with sucks."

Lisa nodded, surprised that Nelson had been insightful enough to realise he needed to start of his Garage somewhere, but was more shocked by the realisation that she was glad that Mrs Muntz had not allowed Nelson to quit. Sometimes, he joined her at lunch, and was actually quite a good conversation. One day, she'd found herself in a debate about whether eating meat was ethical, and had been surprised by the strong case he'd put up. He was kind to her- holding doors, protecting her from the teasing of the other bullies.

"Well, maybe your Mum really meant that she thought you should continue with your education to broaden your possibilities in the future."

"Yeah." He grunted. "But she didn't. Actually, I don't think she likes me that much. You're lucky- your Mum's cool."

"I guess she is." Lisa murmured. Just then, a note was pressed into her hand. With a sigh, Lisa opened it, knowing exactly who it would be from, and what it would say.

"_Hi Lisa. Want to go to Krusty Burger after school tonight? Love M." _She quoted in a monotone, before passing the note to Nelson. "Care to prove me correct?"

His eyes flickered over the writing, before nodding slowly. "You get this problem a lot?" Nelson questioned.

"Erm, yeah- you could say that. He probably printed a bunch of them off. He sends me one every morning. It was kind of cringy at first, but now it's just sort of the daily routine. _Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, do teeth, get on bus, turn Milhouse down, go to school_." Lisa muttered.

"Want me to beat him up for you?" Nelson inquired, a hopefully grin tickling the corner of his mouth.

Lisa giggled in embarrassment at the offer, before adding: "No!"

"You sure? I could just throw in a quick one when I'm getting his lunch money...it'd only take a second."

"Really, I doubt it'd stop him."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"Sure?"

"_Yes!_"

Lack of conversation reigned for a few moments, and the bus drew up outside the school with a jerk. At one, hell descended as children fought to get to the place they hated first, and fastest. "Tell you what then," Nelson reasoned "I'll buy you an extra vegetarian sausage with his lunch money, to make up for it." Lisa wandered into a daydream where vegetarian sausage met cafeteria, but she was sure there'd be something stomach able on offer. With a light smile, Lisa nodded. "I'd like that." She murmured, before hopping from the bus.


	4. I Should Never Have To Say No To You

Note: I'm not quite sure how the American schooling system works- so tell me if something's factually incorrect.

**I Should Never Have To Say No To You**

_In __**Holidays of Future Past **__we learn that Lisa is/has had an affair with Nelson. This is her thoughts on their relationship. Ignoring __**Future Drama**_

He had never picked on girls, which was...a little sexist, but it wasn't as though Lisa was angered by not being robbed of her lunch money. She hadn't been impressed by the fact Nelson Muntz deprived smaller, weedier kids of their lunch, but she'd just taken bullies as part of school life, and had never really payed him much attention. Frequently flanked by his fellow thugs, Lisa wouldn't have risked being noticed by them for all the tea in China.

Even then, he had never gone out of his way to make her feel bad, and in second grade she'd decided she was the only boy who had any substance to him, and had become intrigued. Their first romantic encounter hadn't lasted long, but after that he'd always made sure to speak to her, and keep her company when she looked especially lonely at lunch. One time, he came to sit by her, without any lunch, and Lisa learned the only reason he robbed the weaker of their money was because his family couldn't afford to give him his own. That day, all of his victims had ganged up, and he'd decided that the risks far outweighed the benefits- strangely wise for one so brutish. He was different from all the other bullies- taking pleasure in the discomfort of others purely because it was the only way he'd learned. Respect and recognition was something he craved, and if the only reason people knew his name was because he'd given them a black eye, then so be it.

Nelson was a funny character, but the two became closer over time. He wasn't quite like a big brother to her- simply an extremely supporting and understanding...something. What the pair shared was more than a friendship, but both were coy about recognising the fact. She'd occasionally help him to study, and he returned the favour in many ways. Sometimes- if his mother was particularly intoxicated- he'd come round to the Simpson household, and though the plan was "To hang out with Bart", in those days both were wary of each other, and Lisa often wound up sitting in her older brother's tree house, talking to Nelson all night.

In his last year of Elementary school, they'd gone to the Christmas dance together- "because they both had no one to go with". It'd been fun- but Milhouse had refused to pick up Lisa's books for several days, which was a shame.

Then, Nelson had gone away to high school, and they didn't see each other so much. Those two years apart were the loneliest of Lisa's childhood. One day, they'd bumped into each other in the park- Lisa discovered that Nelson loved ducks, which somewhat clashed with his other personality traits. They did make more of an effort to see each other after that, but she missed how easy it had formerly been to meet up with him.

When she'd got to high school, Nelson had been great. He'd often escorted her to her next class in the week she'd been settling in, which had been a great help. Unfortunately, Milhouse had the same idea, which had caused tension between the two. Invariably, Nelson won every confrontation, with Milhouse trudging away to lick his wounds. Lisa hated to hurt him- to hurt anyone- but it was so much easier with Nelson, knowing he wanted no more of her than she was ready to give. But, overtime, she had begun to give to Milhouse's pathetic proposals, and had eventually agreed to go on a date with him, simply to end the unbearable whining. When she'd told Nelson he'd given her a pat on the back, and grunted: "Little Lis is all grown up."

But he'd minded. And Lisa minded that he minded- she hated to hurt him. If life had gone the way she'd planned it, she'd be sitting atop the hill that overlooked Springfield, having a picnic with Nelson Mandela Muntz, rather than sitting at the back of a cinema watching a crummy animation with Milhouse. Sometimes, Lisa and Nelson had gone up to the observatory during particularly stressful times together, and they'd chat, undisturbed.

Once she'd made the mistake of saying yes to Milhouse, she couldn't get rid of him. No matter how hard she tried, he dogged her like a loving golden retriever, shadowing her where ever she went. Nelson didn't make a move to beat him up- Lisa suspected that he was unsure if Lisa actually liked Milhouse, but wouldn't risk hurting her- and kept his distance, watching from the shadows to make sure no ill came to his ex-lunch partner.

Eventually- realising there was no way she'd be able to speak to him alone at school- Lisa had gone round to his house, and been shocked. His mother was a drunken wreckage, eyes wildly rolling in a stupor. Nelson had been in his room, and the first thing Lisa's eyes were drawn to be a small framed photo of...herself? Blushing a little, Nelson quickly explained that with the only person who actually liked him for himself gone, a photo of her was the next best thing. She'd gone to sit beside him on his bed, and explained the Milhouse issue. She couldn't dump him- Lisa knew his expression would be a thousand times more pained that the one she'd imagined in her head- but that he just wasn't right for her. Too clingy, and actually, not that bright. Nelson had kissed her then. It had just felt so right, that when it'd ended, it seemed as though only seconds had passed. Without saying anything, he'd slipped an arm around her waist, and she'd leaned her head on his hard shoulder. They'd stayed like that for who knows how long, before Nelson had grunted: "It must be your dinnertime. A little thing like you needs to eat, huh?"

Lisa had nodded dumbly, before murmuring: "See you tomorrow?"

Giving a saddened sigh, Nelson muttered: "You know you will. I'll always be there."

The next day at school, Milhouse had been off (It was getting close to Christmas, and his allergies were kicking in) and so Lisa had been able to eat lunch with Nelson. They'd fallen back into their easy banter, and Lisa relished it. She knew that he knew how much she wanted to be with him, even though it wasn't possible at the moment. They went up to the observatory that evening, though as the sun was setting, Nelson couldn't restrain his signature "Haw haw!"

The next day, Milhouse had returned, clingy as ever.

Over the years, Milhouse had backed off a little, as his fears of Lisa leaving him shrunk. It became easier for her and Nelson to spend time together, meeting behind the bleachers to talk, and help each other out.

Lisa had graduated two years early, and attended the prom with Milhouse. Nelson wasn't there. He'd texted her before, telling her he'd be absent, explaining: "It just wouldn't seem right going with anyone else." So, while he was beating up some poor kid, she was there, swaying lifelessly in the arms of someone she didn't truly love.

At the age of 17, Lisa found out she was pregnant. One little line on a detector ruined her life (though she refused to see Zia as negative) of ambition. Knowing she would not be able to terminate the pregnancy (it wasn't ethical), Lisa had collapsed in tears. Then, she'd phoned Nelson.

He'd been understanding, telling her to meet him at the park. They talked for a while, and eventually came to the agreement she'd have to drop out of college. They both hated the idea, but Lisa agreed the life she was carrying inside her had to take priority. Nelson held her hand, whilst she phoned Milhouse to tell him. Naturally, the blue haired teen fainted on the end of the phone, but recovered in a while, phoned back and told Lisa that if her parents kicked her out, she could move in with him. She had told him she didn't think it would be an issue.

Lisa had wanted to provide her unborn daughter with a stable life, and so when Milhouse proposed to her, she had forced herself to accept. Nelson had been at the wedding, of course, and had even managed to steal her for a dance (which was a little risky). It was the highlight of her day.

He had set up his own garage, and one night, he'd called her around. She'd been heavily pregnant, but they had still talked all through to the small hours, and he'd kissed her goodbye.

Gradually, they dared to embark on an affair- with her "going to the cinema with some girlfriends" every week. Milhouse was her suspicious- he worked at the nuclear plant, and was as much as a bore as ever. Nelson was her rock- he was always there to talk, a pair of arms to give her a hug in her lowest moments.

And so, as Lisa clicked: "Ignore", she thought: _It shouldn't have come to this. I shouldn't have to say no to you._


	5. He's Good Like That

_Thank you to those who have reviewed- I really appreciate it. Sorry this one's so short- lacking in muse this morning. This one is isn't romance as such- more friendship. _

_In __**Rome-old and Juli-eh **__Nelson arrives just in time to rescue Lisa from an onslaught of arrows. But how did he know to come?_

**He's Good Like That**

Hilarious as it seemed at the time, Lisa wasn't a hundred percent sure that the lone delivery man had been joking when he'd sworn revenge, and later that day, she'd become uneasy. Bart hadn't shared her concerns- insisting that the man was some sort of stand up comedian who needed practice. Lisa had to admit that it had been pretty funny at the time, but thinking about it that night in her cold bed, she knew she'd be willing to fight for her fort. Sure, in a week or so it would grow tiresome and she and Bart would probably enjoy destroying it somehow- but right now it all seemed very real, and she was genuinely concerned for her place of refuge.

So, that morning at school, she'd found Nelson Muntz- a trustworthy friend of hers- and alerted him of her suspicions. He hadn't downgraded the seriousness of the situation like Bart had, and listened quietly whilst she explained. The first thing he said, once Lisa had completed her panicked gush was: "Well, you'll need armour. And weapons."

He was right, of course. If the box delivery man was going to bring his "allies", then Lisa would need to fight them back in their tens, or hundreds, and that would be hard to do without some form of ammunition. Armour was also an equally sensible suggestion- who knew what weapons the enemy would bring to the battle (if indeed, they came), and who knew the severity of the injuries they may cause.

Lisa had nodded- she thought there were a few left over boxes that could be fashioned into the two above suggestions- and inquired if he would come to their aid.

"Hell, yeah!" He'd exclaimed, pounding the air with his fist. "It'll be fun. I might even get to slay a few dragons!"

Lisa had just nodded, slowly shaking her head with a small smile spreading across her mouth.

Every night after school, he took to riding with her in the bus to her house, to check on the "situation". He'd eat a cookie or two, and then head home on foot.

One day, however, he'd been held back for detention, and Lisa had been forced to go home alone. And, lo and betide, who had turned up only minutes after her arrival?

The army was strong- Deliver men and woman had showed up, fierce intent flashing in their eyes. In their hands, each person simply brandished a cardboard tube- but Lisa knew from experience what one could do with one of those, and shrunk inwardly.

"It begins."

Placing her helmet firmly on her head, Lisa watched with her brother as a man with ripped sleeves let out a battle cry, and all hell broke loose. The first wave sped forward, and she and Bart released their own cardboard tubes, turning the garden into a skating rink. Many people were felled- crushed or tripped by their fellow soldiers, but too many remained to declare victory. One man scaled a ladder, but Lisa simply wrapped him up with tape and sent him screaming away, to crush several other men and woman. Then, the pair began launching flat, cardboard squares. A few were vanquished, but then the workers soon realised that they could use their clipboards as shields, and the squares no longer had any effect.

Then, the box shippers let loose the archers. Volleys of arrows hurtled towards Lisa, and in her mind, her life flashed before her eyes. More accurately, her _regrets_.

_Why did I cheat in that test? Surely getting an A once in a while isn't the be all and end all. Why didn't I tell anyone that Maggie had swallowed her pacifier? If she'd- but she didn't, so that's okay. Why didn't I tell Nelson how great he is to me? _

Lisa closed her eyes.

Just as the arrows were about to strike, the dull _thunk _of impact interrupted their course. Surprised, Lisa dared to open her eyes, but found she could not see past the...cardboard shield? Daring to creep out from under its safety, she found Nelson standing beside her- clad in armour- grinning.

"Nelson!" She had exclaimed, restraining the urge to hug him. "You came in our hour of need!"

In response, he just smiled at her, before leaping down into the enemy with a triumphant "Haw haw!"

Each time a brown shirted man or woman struck and him, Lisa's heart leapt to her throat. Yet each time, somehow he hit them away with his two tubes, and soon there was a pile of injured service folk around him. She would have watched him more, but Bart had started blowing things at the enemy, and she felt complied to encourage him.

Just as the battle ended, Lisa noticed Nelson impale the dragon with his final tube (his other was mangled, probably by the dragon its self.) and give a triumphant cackle. Hopping down from the castle, she dashed over to him and enveloped him in a hug. "Thank you, Nelson!"

Awkwardly, he patted her head, a crooked grin on his face. "It's fine. Fun, actually. You should do that more often."  
"Are you joking?"

He just smiled, and said he had to be on his way.

_My knight in shining armour. Or rather, cardboard armour._


	6. Smell Ya Later

Lisa shimmied through the torrent of people, holding on to her tightly styled hair to prevent it before being bumped by the crowd. She danced seamlessly around any and every type of person- skipping nimbly to the side to avoid collision with a slender businesswoman not like herself, and indiscreetly diving to the side to save herself from being squashed by a very large, T-shirted young man, who really didn't care who he trampled on the way to his destination.

When Lisa had first arrived at her job several years ago, she'd tried telling the early morning traffic to just _slow down_. According to her calculations, if everyone lowered their speed by just 2mph, then each person would have up to three seconds more to move out of the way, lessening the crash rate by one half. Strangely, they'd been unwilling to try it. She cursed under her breath as the folder she was carrying slipped out from under her arm- Lisa tried to turn back, but all attempts were futile as the crowd whisked her away. What choice did she have but to follow the current?

As the traffic dribbled away, Lisa returned to the spot where she'd lost her folder, praying to find it in good condition. Instead, her eyes were drawn to a dark haired man of around her age walking towards her through the stranglers, a file clutched in...No way. All thoughts of getting to work vanished as the middle Simpson child bounded towards brown haired man with crooked teeth.

"NELSON!" She shrieked, indulging in an uncharacteristically girly scream that turned a couple of heads. A few more steps and she'd reached him, having composed herself. Unsure of how to act, Lisa decided to go for the formal approach. "Excuse me, sir, is that my, um, folder you have there?"  
Nelson Muntz merely raised an eyebrow, gave a ragged grin and enveloped her in a bone crushing hug, hoisting her off her feet.

"Be careful how you put me down." Lisa muttered her into his neck. "Regaining balance in Stilettos is harder than you think."

A laugh rattled through Nelson, and he nodded, setting her down lightly and keeping a hold of her shoulders until she gave him the all clear.

Lisa washed her gaze over the man who stood several inches taller than her, before wrapping her arms around his waist once more. Abruptly, she pulled away, staring into his eyes and tilting her head in confusion. "What are _you _doing here? I mean, no offense, but I never really saw you as the, erm...lawyer type. Not that I think you're stupid! It's just..."  
Nelson gave a wane smile. "You figured I'd be locked away by now, huh?"

"What! No! Of course not!"

He offered her a challenging grin. "You did too."  
"Did not!"  
"Did too!"  
"Did _not!_"

Nelson raised an eyebrow once more. "Really?"

Lisa fiddled with her collar, eyes dancing around the building. "Uh...maybe." She confessed with an impish grin.

His jaw dropped in mock horror, and he batted at her head, which Lisa easily ducked. "Nope, I'm only here for jury service, I'm afraid." Nelson propped his suit. "Do you know, I had to borrow this from a friend? It fits pretty well, doesn't it? Considering it's not mine."

"WHAT? You still don't own anythingformal?!" Lisa hissed, shaking her head in a forlorn manner. "I've failed."

It was true. He'd loaned a tux for prom night, and whenever he showed up at someone's wedding- which wasn't that often- jeans were about as smart is it got. No one expected any better from him now.

"So," Nelson asked "I take it you're not on jury service too?"  
"Uh, no..."

"How did I guess?"

"Well, my suspicion is that you sneaked a look inside my file..."

Nelson grinned. "Spot on."

She'd dated him once again, in highschool. And it had been great- they'd got on well, and everything that was needed for a happy boyfriend and girlfriend was there. Except, there was more. Milhouse was unbearable. He moaned all day- and probably all night- never letting up. Nelson enjoyed it at first- "Haw haw, who's _destined to be together _now" and so on, but eventually it became too much for even him. "If he loves you so much, can't you make him stop?" Nelson had complained.

The next day, Lisa and Milhouse had been the very last two in the class in the period before break. He'd began his petition once more as to why Nelson was unsuitable for her, when Lisa had an idea. Kissing him had shut him up once before in elementary school, and if she convinced him that she liked him, and would go out with him after she had a reason to break up with Nelson, all would be okay. For a while. Maybe...a week? But a week of peace was heaven. So, she'd kissed him. And who'd come in, to check she was okay? They'd try to work through it- Lisa had explained- but she'd seen the doubt in his eyes. And one night, Nelson had told her- "You don't deserve to be trapped in a relationship where you're not trusted completely. And I've _tried_ to get past...it, Lis', I really have, but I just..._can't_. And you deserve better." He'd repeated that throughout the breakup. _You deserve better._ And he'd meant it. He'd been hurt by what he'd done- there was no hiding the agony in his eyes- but he genuinely believed this decision was the right one for him. For _her._

"You deserved better."

Lisa's eyes refocused, to meet with Nelson's sad brown orbs. "I was just thinking back to it, as well."

The young lawyer nodded, before brushing into another subject: "Which room are you in?"

"The one just to the left of here."  
"Oh...right...okay then, well...it was nice..."

"Yeah." Nelson murmured, giving her a farewell hug. "Nice catching up."

"See you around sometime." He added as she turned. _No,_ Lisa thought _We won't._

Just as Lisa had hurried halfway down the corridor, she heard Nelson call out to her- "Lisa, wait!"

Heart skipping a beat, Lisa raced over any and all possible answers in her head. _Yes, Nelson, I'd love to get coffee after this. What time do you finish? _Or maybe _Oh, just let me write down my number _possibly even _Oh, I've got nothing on that day. Sure, I'll go into New York with you!_

She spun around, a small smile spreading across her face. "Yes?"

Nelson extended a hand to her, a small brown folder clutched in it. "You forgot this."

"Oh, yeah...right." She mumbled, returning to his side to reclaim what was hers. The pair nodded at each other one final time, before going separate ways.

It was only when she'd reached the court room and needed to plead the case that she opened the folder. All was completely as she'd left it, except for a small yellow post-it-note attached to the top sheet of paper. A mobile phone number was scribbled onto it with a brown pencil- barely legible. But it was.

_Smell ya later? _The only writing on the note, but that made it every bit more special to her.


End file.
